bandsaw ?

[John Daugherty]

I don't have a bandsaw and I'm going to be getting one in the very near future. I'm looking at the 14 to 17 inch sizes. Can I do everything with a 17 that I can do with a 14? Is bigger better? I'd like to be able to do some resawing, bookmatching etc. I've been looking at the griz. 513X or the Rikon

[Lance Norris]

Can I do everything with a 17 that I can do with a 14? Is bigger better?

Yes... Yes.

[Stephen Edwards]

Hey John,

I'm going to be buying a bandsaw in the near future, too. I have an old 12 inch craftsman that served me well for years but it's time to move on up!

After lots of research I've decided on the Grizzly G055X:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/14-Extreme-Series-Bandsaw/G0555X

With the 6 inch riser bar that'll take care of my needs for a bandsaw. This one has 1/2 less HP than the one you're looking at. A good blade and the riser bar will handle the resawing needs that I have. And, it'll be about 250 bucks less.......which I can put toward another tool.

Really, it depends on what your needs are. In my opinion, yes, bigger is usually better but not always necessary. If can do what I need to do with a smaller but equal quality machine for considerably less bucks, that's what I do.

I just went through the same decision process for a new jointer. I ended up buying the Grizzly G0604X:

http://www.grizzly.com/products/6-Parallelogram-Jointer/G0604X

from the Grizzly auction store on ebay. The one I bought is new in the crate with some paint blemishes.......and 125 bucks less than one with perfect paint from the Grizzly website or catalogue. Same machine, same warranty.

Again, it was a matter of deciding on a 6 inch or 8 inch jointer. If I bought their equal quality 8 inch it would cost nearly twice as much. For me the deciding factor was that it ain't going to double the capacity or utility of the machine for nearly double the price.

Just think about what you need for your machine to do and make your decision accordingly.

[Peter Quadarella]

In my opinion, a 17" bandsaw (or an 8" jointer) means that you will not feel the need to upgrade unless you start doing specialist or production work. I know of at least one person that is looking to upgrade to an 8" jointer since buying a 6" 3 months ago, and there are many 14" bandsaw owners that lust after the bigger stuff. Most of the 17" bandsaw owners I've spoken to seem to be content with the size.

Really, you can do everything you need with a hand saw and some planes, but I've been trying to hit that sweet in-between spot. I'm also looking to purchase the G0513X2.

[Lewis DeJoseph]

Hi Stephen,

I am considering that very same deal on ebay. How do you like it?

Lewis

[Peter Quinn]

I have a 14" bandsaw w/riser and good blades. The devil is in the details...you said 'some' resaw. I have resawn 10" on this machine, but the feed rate is slow and I tend to slice a little thicker and plane/drum sand to get where I need to be.

Know anybody that can let you try one of each? When you say you don't have a bandsaw I wonder how much experience you have with them. Its very difficult to choose such a hands on operater guided tool without having a feel for how each style machine performs. I chose the 14" over the Rikon, then got to use a Laguna, and sure wish I'd saved my money, waited, and eventually bought the Laguna.

Also, I am 5'7" and sure wish I had a lower table height for control during curved work. Table height from floor is not something I considered when buying and wish I had. I wind up standing on a box as I can not lower the machine!:eek::eek::eek:

[John Bailey]

I think a 14" bandsaw is a great all round tool. That's what I've got and it's the most used tool in my shop. At some point I'm planning on having both a 14" and a larger bandsaw. I'm going to use the 14" for scroll work and a larger one for straight cuts. It makes good sense to start with a 14" as it will do everything most of us need. If you find you need a bigger bandsaw later, or just want to add a bigger one, resale on the 14"s are pretty good if you get a good one to begin with. Used saws are a good deal and you won't lose much if you sell it.

John